Excerpt

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is essential for the normal catabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein chylomicrons (lipoprotein particles) (1). Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) generates a number of highly reactive short chain-length aldehydic fragments of oxidized fatty acids capable of conjugating with lysine residues of apoliprotein B and other proteins. Oxidized LDL is present in atherosclerotic lesions and is essential for formation of foam cells in atherosclerotic plaques. During atherogenic conditions, depositions of lipids and extracellular matrix proteins on the endothelial cell surfaces of the aorta and cells lead to the development of atherosclerotic plaques (2), which may erode and rupture. MDA2 is a murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) to malondialdehyde-lysine epitopes of MDA-LDL and other oxidatively modified proteins but not to normal LDL (3). Tsimikas and colleagues (4-6) have studied 125I-MDA2 for imaging atherosclerotic plaques in small animals.